Vehicle roof support structure including side curtain air bags

ABSTRACT

A roof rail assembly for a vehicle that includes a body side outer and an interior trim piece connected to the body side outer. The body side outer and the interior trim piece define a cavity. A roof rail is positioned within the cavity, and a side curtain air bag is positioned below the roof rail. The interior trim piece is assembled about a lower surface of the roof rail in a spaced relationship relative to the curtain air bag to increase visibility around the roof rail assembly.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a divisional of U.S. application Ser. No. 14/045,743filed Oct. 3, 2013, now U.S. Pat. No. 8,967,662 issued Mar. 3, 2015, thedisclosure of which is hereby incorporated in its entirety by referenceherein.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates to vehicle roof support structures withvehicle roof rail assemblies and side curtain air bags.

BACKGROUND

A vehicle roof assembly may consist of a roof panel supported by roofsupport pillars and a roof rail. The roof support pillars are designatedas an A-pillar, B-pillar, C-pillar, and so on. The roof rail extendsalong a longitudinal axis of the vehicle from the vehicle's A-pillar upto the vehicle's last pillar, such as a C-pillar. On the vehicleexterior, the roof rail is covered by an outer body panel attached tothe roof panel. Inside the vehicle, the roof rail is covered by an innertrim panel. Electrical wire bundles and folded side curtain air bags maybe positioned in between the roof rail and the inner trim panel. Theinner trim panel attached to the roof rail that enclose the electricalwire bundle and folded side curtain air bags is spaced from the outerbody panel and reduces occupant vision and interior space. The width ofthe roof rail and the inner trim panel also reduces the space foringress and egress of occupants in low profile vehicles, such as coupesand sports cars.

The above problems and other problems are addressed by this disclosureas summarized below.

SUMMARY

An aspect of the present disclosure relates to a roof support structurefor a vehicle. The roof support structure includes a roof panel and apair of A-pillars supporting a front end of the roof panel. Each of theA-pillars is disposed between the windshield and a side door window. Theroof support structure further includes a pair of roof rails extendingin a longitudinal direction on right and left sides of the roof panel. Aside curtain air bag is assembled to each one of the A-pillars and oneof the roof rails. The roof rail from A-pillar to C-pillar defines aconcave recess extending along the length of the roof rail. The concaverecess opens toward a passenger compartment of the vehicle and has asmooth curved surface. The side curtain air bags are folded andassembled into the concave recess with at least half of the outersurface of the curtain air bag contacting the smooth curved surface ofthe concave recess.

Other aspects of the vehicle roof support structure include a guidesurface provided on at least one side of the concave recess. The guidesurface is preferably a planar member that extends from the concaverecess toward the passenger compartment of the vehicle. The guidesurface facilitates smooth deployment of the curtain air bag. The smoothcurved surface of the concave recess may be an oval surface and thecurtain air bag may be folded into an oval cross-sectional shape.

Another aspect of the present disclosure relates to a vehicle roof railassembly that supports one side of a roof of a vehicle. The vehicle roofrail assembly includes an elongated tubular roof rail having an outerwall that is convex, an inner wall that defines a concave area, and arib extending downwardly from and disposed between the outer wall andthe inner wall. The vehicle roof rail assembly further includes an outerbody panel attached to the outer wall, an active restraint air bagdisposed at least partially within the concave area of the inner wall,and an inner trim panel spanning the inner wall and enclosing the foldedcurtain air bag.

In other aspects of the vehicle roof rail assembly, the outer body paneldefines an inner surface that defines a cavity and wherein the outerwall of the roof rail is received within the cavity defined by the innersurface of the outer body panel. At least half of the curtain air bagmay be received within the concave area of the inner wall. The innertrim panel may be attached to the rib and extends in an inboarddirection to enclose the curtain air bag. The vehicle roof rail assemblymay further include a guide surface provided on at least one side of theconcave recess. The guide surface is a planar member that extends fromthe concave area of the inner wall toward a passenger compartment of thevehicle. A door seal may be attached to an outwardly facing surface ofthe rib adjacent to the juncture of the outer wall and the inner trimpanel. The lateral width of the air bag, the rib and the door seal maybe less than the width of the roof rail in the transverse vehicledirection. The rib may define a seal recess on an outer seal receivingwall that is separated from the concave area of the inner wall. A doorseal is attached to the outer seal receiving wall, and the side curtainair bag and the door seal are disposed above a lower end of the rib.

Another aspect of the present disclosure relates to a vehicle roof railassembly that includes a body side outer and an interior trim piececonnected to the body side outer. The body side outer and inner trimpanel define a cavity. A roof rail positioned is within the cavity. Aside curtain air bag is positioned below the roof rail. The inner trimpanel is assembled about a lower surface of the roof rail in a spacedrelationship relative to the side curtain air bag to increase visibilityaround the A-pillar/roof rail assembly for an occupant in the vehicle.

In other aspects of the vehicle roof rail assembly, the roof rail is ina form of an asymmetrical p-shaped roof rail. The roof rail includes anelongate portion and a loop portion attached to the elongate portion.The loop portion is tucked into the cavity to reduce the distancebetween the inner trim panel and the body side outer. The body sideouter has an inner surface, and the loop portion follows the contours ofthe inner surface of the body side outer. The elongate portion may bebent to form a concave inner wall. The curtain air bag is positioned atleast partially within the concave inner wall of the roof rail. Thecurtain air bag may have a circular or an oval cross-section.

The above aspects and other aspects of this disclosure are describedbelow in greater detail with reference to the attached drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary side elevation view of a vehicle having anA-pillar and a roof rail structure of the present disclosure.

FIG. 2 is a cross-section view taken along line 2-2 in FIG. 1 showing aroof rail and a side curtain air bag of a roof rail assembly embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a cross-section view similar to the view in FIG. 2 showing analternative embodiment of a roof rail and a side curtain air bag.

FIG. 4 is a cross-section view similar to the view in FIG. 2 showing analternative embodiment of a roof rail and a side curtain air bag.

FIG. 5 is a cross-section view similar to the view in FIG. 2 showing analternative embodiment of a roof rail and a side curtain air bag.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The illustrated embodiments are disclosed with reference to thedrawings. However, it is to be understood that the disclosed embodimentsare intended to be merely examples that may be embodied in various andalternative forms. The figures are not necessarily to scale and somefeatures may be exaggerated or minimized to show details of particularcomponents. The specific structural and functional details disclosed arenot to be interpreted as limiting, but as a representative basis forteaching one skilled in the art how to practice the disclosed concepts.

Referring to FIG. 1, a vehicle 20 incorporating the roof rail assemblyof the present disclosure includes a roof panel 22 supported by a pairof A-pillars 24, B-pillars 26, and C-pillars 28. Each of the pair ofA-pillars 24 is disposed between a windshield and a side door window.The type of vehicle 20 that is shown is a sedan but the roof railassembly may be incorporated with any type of vehicle, including thosewith more or less supporting pillars. The roof panel 22 may be supportedby roof bows and a pair of roof rails extending in a longitudinaldirection on the right and left sides of the roof panel of the vehicle20. Each of the roof rails is covered by an outer body panel 30. Theroof panel 22 and the outer body panel 30 may be the same panel, or theymay be one panel. Certain portions of the outer body panel 30 may form apart of any of the pillars—A, B, or C. The outer body panel 30 isconnected to door frames 32 and 34.

Referring to FIG. 2, the roof panel 22, the outer body panel 30, and thedoor frame 34 form the exterior periphery of a top portion of thevehicle 20. The roof panel 22 and the outer body panel 30 are connectedat a roof ditch 23. A roof rail assembly section 25 includes the outerbody panel 30, a inner trim panel 44, a roof rail 50, and a side curtainair bag 48. The outer body panel 30 has an inner surface 56 that definesa concave recess extending longitudinally on the vehicle 20, includingthe applicable pillars of the vehicle 20. The concave recess openstoward a passenger compartment of the vehicle 20 and has a smooth curvedsurface. The outer body panel 30 includes a first rib 36 adjacent to theroof ditch 23 that downwardly extends in an inboard direction followedby a flange 36 a. The flange 36 a bends and forms a first planar guidesurface 37. The outer body panel 30 further includes a second rib 39 atan end opposite to where the first rib 36 extends. The second rib 39includes a downwardly extending portion 41. The downwardly extendingportion 41 bends and forms a planar surface 43.

A first door seal 38 is attached to the downwardly extending portion 41of the second rib 39. A second door seal 40 is attached to the outwardlyfacing planar surface 43 of the second rib 39 that is adjacent to ajuncture of the outer body panel and the inner trim panel. Door seals 38and 40 are positioned in between the door frame 32 and the second rib 39to prevent elements, such as water and noise, from entering the vehicle20.

An inner trim panel 44 is attached to the planar surface 43 and extendsin an inboard direction. The inner trim panel 44 and the outer bodypanel 30 define a cavity 46 where a side curtain air bag 48, electricalwires, and a roof rail 50 are positioned. The cavity 46 includes a firstpocket 47 defined by an inner surface 54 of the first rib 36, an innersurface 56 of the outer body panel 30, and an inner surface 58 of thedownwardly extending portion 41 of the second rib 39. The cavity 46further includes a second pocket 49 defined by an inner portion 62 ofthe planar surface 43 and the inner surface 64 of the inner trim panel44.

The roof rail 50 is preferably an elongated tubular roof rail andincludes a first convex outer wall 52 connected to a second convex outerwall 53. The second convex outer wall 53 is connected to a concave innerwall 66, and the concave inner wall 66 is connected to a third convexouter wall 55. The first convex outer wall 52 is disposed within thefirst pocket 47, and the second convex outer wall 53 is disposed withinthe second pocket 49. The third convex outer wall 55 is connected to thefirst convex outer wall 52 at an end that is opposite to the secondconvex outer wall 53. The third convex outer wall 55 is positioned belowthe inner surface 54. The concave inner wall 66 is connected to thethird convex outer wall 55 on one end and the second convex outer wall53 on the other end. The concave inner wall 66 opposes the first pocket47 and faces the inner trim panel 44. The concave inner wall 66 openstoward the passenger compartment of the vehicle. The concave inner wall66 preferably includes a smooth curved surface and is an oval surface. Asecond guide surface 63 may be provided on at least one side of theconcave inner wall 66. The second guide surface 63 is a planar memberthat extends from the concave inner wall 66 toward a passengercompartment of the vehicle. The second guide surface 63 enables the sidecurtain air bag to deploy smoothly.

The side curtain air bag 48 is preferably tucked in the concave innerwall 66. At least half of the outer surface of the side curtain air bag48 preferably contacts the smooth curved surface of the concave innerwall 66. At least half of the side curtain air bag 48 is also receivedwithin the concave inner wall 66. The side curtain air bag 48 may befolded into a cylindrical, circular, or an oval cross-sectional shape.The inner trim panel 44 and the outer body panel 30 enclose the sidecurtain air bag 48. The curtain air bag 48 extends below the roof rail.The insertion of the first convex outer wall 52 into the first pocket47, the insertion of the second convex outer wall 53 into the secondpocket 49, and the position of the side curtain air bag 48 relative tothe concave inner wall 66 minimize the size of the roof rail assemblysection 25. The width of the assembly between the outer body panel 30and the inner trim panel 44 is significantly minimized by placing theside curtain air bag 48 at least partially within the concave inner wall66. Consequently, the roof rail assembly section 25 improves theoccupant vision and the interior space of the vehicle 20. The roof railassembly section 25 also improves the space for ingress and egress ofoccupants in low profile vehicles, such as coupes and sports cars.

Referring to FIG. 3, another embodiment of a roof rail assembly is shownand includes a roof rail having an elongate portion 72 and a loopportion 74 attached to the elongate portion 72. The loop portion 74 istucked into the first pocket 47 defined by the outer body panel 30 toreduce the distance between the inner trim panel 44 and the outer bodypanel 30. The roof rail 70 is an asymmetrical p-shaped roof rail. Theasymmetrical p-shaped roof rail includes an elongate portion 72 that ispreferably parallel to the planar surface 43. The elongate portion 72spans from one end of the inner trim panel 44 to an area adjacent to theend of the first planar guide surface 37. The asymmetrical p-shaped roofrail also includes a loop portion 74 that is tucked into the firstpocket 47 and follows the contours of the inner surface of the outerbody panel 30. The loop portion 74 may include a first side 75 that isparallel to the first planar guide surface 37, a second side 78 that isparallel to the downwardly extending portion 41, and a third side 76connecting the first side 75 and the second side 78.

Referring to FIG. 4, yet another embodiment of a roof rail assembly isshown and includes a roof rail 80 that is similar to the asymmetricalp-shaped roof rail 70 of FIG. 3, except that its elongate side 82 isbent to form a concave inner wall. The concave inner wall is foraccommodating a curtain air bag 48. The side curtain air bag 48 isreceived in the concave inner wall. The loop portion 84 of the roof rail80 is inserted into the first pocket 47. As a result, the distancebetween the inner trim panel 44 and the outer body panel 30 can beminimized to improve the occupant vision, and increase the ingress andegress clearance.

Referring now to FIG. 5, another embodiment of a roof rail assembly isshown and includes a roof rail 90 having a first loop section 92 that ispositioned outside the first pocket 47 and a second loop section 94 thatis positioned within the first pocket 47. Roof rail 90 includes ahorizontal member 96 that spans from an area adjacent to the inner trimpanel 44 to an area within the first pocket 47 adjacent to the secondrib 39. Loop members 98 and 100 preferably connect to the horizontalmember 96 and follow the contours of the inner surface of the outer bodypanel 30. An elongate member 102 connects loop member 100 to thehorizontal member 96 to close the loop. The elongate member 102 is bentsubstantially in the middle to form a concave inner surface 104 foraccommodating a curtain air bag 48. The elongate member 102 includes afirst portion 106 that is substantially parallel to the inner trim panel44 and a second portion 108 that is substantially parallel to the planarsurface 43. The lateral width of the curtain air bag 48, the planarsurface 43 of the second rib 39, and the door seal 40 is less than thewidth of the roof rail 90 in a traverse vehicle direction.

While exemplary embodiments are described above, it is not intended thatthese embodiments describe all possible forms of the disclosed apparatusand method. Rather, the words used in the specification are words ofdescription rather than limitation, and it is understood that variouschanges may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of thedisclosure as claimed. The features of various implementing embodimentsmay be combined to form further embodiments of the disclosed concepts.

What is claimed is:
 1. A roof support structure for a vehiclecomprising: a roof panel; a pair of A-pillars supporting a front end ofthe roof panel and each being disposed between a windshield and a sidedoor window; a pair of roof rail assemblies extending in a longitudinaldirection on right and left sides of the roof panel; and a pair ofcurtain air bags each assembled to one of the A-pillars and one of theroof rail assemblies, wherein one of the A-pillars and one of the roofrail assemblies include an outer body panel having a first rib thatdownwardly extends in an inboard direction and a second rib at an endopposite to where the first rib extends, the first rib and the secondrib having inner surfaces that define a pocket; a roof rail including afirst convex outer wall disposed within the pocket, a second convexouter wall connected to the first convex outer wall and a concave innerwall connected to the second convex outer wall, the concave inner wallopposing the pocket and defining a concave recess extending along alength of the A-pillars and the roof rail assemblies, wherein theconcave recess opens toward a passenger compartment of the vehicle andhas a smooth curved surface, wherein the curtain air bags are folded andassembled into the concave recess with at least half of an outer surfaceof the curtain air bag contacting the smooth curved surface of theconcave recess.
 2. The roof support structure of claim 1 furthercomprising a guide surface provided on at least one side of the concaverecess, the guide surface being a planar member that extends from theconcave recess toward the passenger compartment of the vehicle.
 3. Theroof support structure of claim 1 wherein the smooth curved surface ofthe concave recess is a cylindrical surface and the curtain air bags arefolded into a cylindrical cross-sectional shape.
 4. The roof support ofclaim 1 wherein the smooth curved surface of the concave recess is anoval surface and the curtain air bags are folded into an ovalcross-sectional shape.
 5. A roof support structure for a vehicle havinga roof panel comprising: an inner trim panel; a roof rail assemblyextending on a side of the roof panel opposite the inner trim panel, theroof rail assembly including: an outer body panel having a first ribthat downwardly extends in an inboard direction and a second rib at anend opposite to where the first rib extends, the first rib and thesecond rib having inner surfaces that define a pocket; a roof railincluding a first convex outer wall disposed within the pocket, a secondconvex outer wall connected to the first convex outer wall and an innerwall connected to the second convex outer wall, the inner wall opposingthe pocket and facing the inner trim panel, the inner wall furtheropening toward a passenger compartment of the vehicle and defining asmooth curved surface; and a curtain air bag folded and assembledadjacent to the inner wall; wherein the inner wall is a concave innerwall and at least half of an outer surface of the curtain air bagcontacts the smooth curved surface of the concave inner wall.
 6. Theroof support structure of claim 5 further comprising a guide surfaceprovided on at least one side of the inner wall, the guide surface beinga planar member that extends from the inner wall toward the passengercompartment of the vehicle.